The Penn's Grove record., 1887-10-08
LOVE \ A A
or, Dale Ardavan's Confession.

pet of the family, eXulted In the posses
sion of a new white muslin, and / must
say l was a little jealous.
We expected a visit from our cousin,
Dale Ardavan, and we're rather asham.
ed of our poor little house and sur
roundings. Resale always appropriate
ed him for herself, as she had done
everything since | was a baby, but L
liked the big, manly fellow just the
same.
Ii Dale noticed our shabbiness he
said nothing about it when he came.
| saw very little of him, as / taught the
village school, but he was generally on
hand to speak a kind word when ]
started out. ROsalie and he spent
whole days together, and it looked very
much like a match would result.
One morning as they were starting
off to go to a picnic he stopped me with
an earnest look on bis face.
"Why will you work yourself to
death?' he said. Better come with
us to the woods"
But l shook my head. / could not
tel him that mother and Rosalie were
dependent on my efforts. All day in
| the lot school-rOom his kindly eyes fol-
! lONtu iilb anu tllctIbu lut.
in the afternoon, just a recess was
over, a terrible storm came up and l
had all l could do to reassure the chill.
dren, who were crying around me. !
began to pray, for L was terribly fright.
ened at the thunder. The next mo-
ment there was a peal of lightning and
the roof of the school-house fell in.
| can remember being picked up in
some ones strong arms and feeling
tears upon my face, and lips pressed to
mine; then all was blank again.
But one morning-Ohl sweet, blessed
reliefl-I opened my eyes on our own
hOmely little room, never before a par
ddise to me. Everything was still, so
very still, and | slowly took in each
familiar object. Seated by the window,
his face hidden in his hands, was Dale
Ardavan.
dale" 1 said, in a thin, weak voice,
surely not my voice, ''come here"
lie started forward, but checked the
words that rose to his lips, and came
and knelt quietly by the bedside, and |
am sure that there was something moist
ON the pitiful, wasted hands he bent
over, bat he said never a wor"H>.
Dale | went on, gu " 7ningly,
scarcely positive yet as t. my own
identity, 81 have been very illln
Eyes, very i'll, NY Miriam; but
you must not talk, not even so little.
You are better now, so much better, |
but quiet is essential"
Tell me, Them everything, all about
it, for | "a never rest until the dream
ing and the reality are separate and dis
tInCt.D
He told me then of how he and Ros-
allie, seeing the storm, had returned
from the picnic and he started toward
the school-house, intending to bring
me home, and found nothing but Il
frightful mass of brick and mortar; of
how the village had congregated, and
men, women and children, too, had
worked as never before in an agony of
fear, for it was their own flesh and
blood that lay buried beneath.
you escaped better than most of
them, Miriam" said Dale, in conclu-
sion, land had 1t not been for the fever
raging in your veins, and in any case
inevitable, you would not have suffered
greatly from the accident; as 1t is, you
have had an unquestionably severe
time. We knew this morning." and
there was a little culver in the voice,
THAT the chances were ten to one you
would open your eyes on the other
world instead of this. Thank God the
latter is the case; but | knew it would
be too much for you to hear at once"
foI bad ait9fSSaa55U t Pm nt0Yes ann fe r60lh
was swimming round in a whirl.
1t was a most sweet coming back to
life, Aunt Winnifred, gentle and con-
siderate, showing more tenderness to-
ward me than / had deemed possible.
Resale, quiescent, to say the least, for
she was clever enough to discern that
this was the WiSest card she could play
just now, and Dale Ardavan, with his
ever-thoughtful, attentive kindness that
left nothing undOne that could be done
to tempt back my old friends, health
and strength. Small wonder, then,
that my recovery was rapid.
One evening, a bleak, gloomy even
ing, too raw decidedly for me to ven
ture out for my accustomed drive, as |
lay on the luxurious e~asy-couch that
had found lis way along with a great
many other comforts into our humble
home, the door opened softly and Dale
entered, his bright. sunny face soaring
away the shadows gathering with the
dreamy twilight.
"A letter for me?" l asked, seeing
he brought the mail.
mo, but you may read mine-that
is, if there is light sufficient" and he
came and stood beside me-"
"Ohl l can see,' | said, reaching up
for the letter.
II u,oo chorF orn,,ob ror,, rLo,t
hold all that it did for me. The expert
enced physician who had accepted Dale
as his partner for the coming Winter
had grown impatient of his prolonged
stay and was begging an immediate re-
turn.
1t had come, then, this thing that l
had been reSolutely shutting my eyes
to for the past few weeks-this thing
that was too terrible to even think of.
He was going.
The twilight shadows were most well
come now.
"When do you think, Miriam" he
asked, half lightly, half earnestly,
THAT you will be well enough to dis
pense with my medical attentions?-
when will you be your old self, the
light-hearted, light-footed little girl
that sprang into my arms the first day
l came, do you r~emember?"
l did not answer Immediately; / was
thinking, thinking that 1 could never
again be the anne Miriam, that my life
could never again 80 back to its old,
contented, unbroken level. But such
thoughts must not be put into words,
aad silence could not last forever, and
so, after a little, my answer came, COM
monplace and quiet;
81 am getting better and stronger so
rapidly, and your duties demand your
presence so imperatiyely, ! think l can
do very well without you low."
A prim, awkward speech, primly and
awkwardly spoken.
Dale laughed and knelt beside me.
Complimentary, indeed /; but sup
pose, Miriam, that | can never do with
out you again-at ~least,n slipping an
arm about my head and taking aaptiva |